Many types of personal electronic devices (such as cellular phones, smartphones and some kinds of computers and portable computers, such as tablet computers or laptop personal computers, as well as some accessories such as some headsets) exchange data, such as audio data, voice data, image data, video data, text messages, and e-mails, and any combination thereof, with messaging servers over long range wireless data communication links in one or more wireless communication networks. Many such devices can communicate (e.g., with another device or base station) without a wired or cabled physical connection, and may be called wireless communication devices. One example of such wireless data communication links includes cellular-like data networks. Wireless communication devices can receive messages from remote servers over a wireless data communication link in a one-way or a two-way wireless communication protocol. Some of these personal electronic devices may be portable, and some may further be handheld, that is, sized and shaped to be held or carried in a human hand.
Communication devices are becoming so ubiquitous in society that users often own, or have authorized use of, two or more such communication devices. Users with two or more communication devices often receive and send data on all of their communication devices, possibly different devices using different communication links. For example, a user can receive emails on their laptop personal computer, optionally using a wireless modem, and contemporaneously will also receive the same emails on their wireless cellular phone devices. Moreover, the same emails may also be received via the user's desktop personal computer. All three devices, i.e., the laptop personal computer, the desktop personal computer, and the wireless cellular phone, may often be located in proximity with each other. In such a case, the user will typically be bombarded at the same time with multiple alerts indicating that the same message was received by each and every one of the plurality of user devices in proximity with each other. This repeated alerting by multiple user devices for every message received can be very disruptive to the user.
Additionally, mobile wireless communication devices typically use rechargeable power supplies, such as batteries or other electrical charge storage devices, to permit device operation while roaming and without being tethered to a particular stationary power source. As the rechargeable power source, e.g., the battery, in a wireless communication device becomes depleted, it can be recharged by connecting the device to a stationary power source, such as using a charger that is connected to an AC outlet. It may pose an inconvenience to a user or even worse a loss of function of the device if the battery depletes too far and no power supply is available to recharge. Repeated alerting by multiple user devices for every message received wastes battery power and thereby shortens battery life for battery operated user devices that are all alerting redundant and unnecessary alerts for the same message received at the same time.